When God Puts You On Hold

Most of us have experienced the following:

You want to get down the road, but the road is curvy, and you’re behind a slow driver. You have to slow down and wait. How about making an important phone call, and all you get is a machine.

The machine says, “If you live within the U.S. press 1; If you want English press 2; If you have a complaint press 3; If you have bad breath...you can

hang up.” Then, you finally, press all those numbers and you get another recording which says....”your wait time will be approximately 10 minutes.”

Finally, after you get to your final destination by phone, you get another recording which says, “I’m not able to take your call now, if you will leave

your name, number, and a short message, I will return your call.” Wait, Wait, Wait, you’ve got to wait. Do you like to wait?

Does this bother you? You take the whole family, and let’s say you drive to some place like Big Mac, you go through the drive-thru....you order that

hamburger....you got several people in the car...you make all the orders...pay for all the orders...then, you get to the window for pick-up.

Everything is there....all except your order..You are then told to pull-up and park and they will bring it out to you. Wait, Wait, Wait....Do you like to

wait?

How about when you are in line at Wally-World...you’ve waited for what seemed to be forever....and someone ahead of you...there is a price check,

which takes 15 minutes, and then you wait for them to pay and they take out a hammer and bust open a piggy bank full of pennies.....I know I’m

exaggerating a little, maybe not...but you get the message...

We are constantly waiting whether we are at a traffic light, or stuck in traffic, or waiting at the dentist, or doctor’s office....Wait! Wait! Wait!

With the use of Fax machines, email, microwaves we have become spoiled on immediate service. 10 minutes without electricity sends us up the wall.

Whenever an operator puts us on hold, we feel as if we’ve been deprived.

What about when God is slow in responding to a prayer we’ve prayed?

What do you do when you have to wait on God?

Certainly, the Bible says ‘wait on the Lord’ Psalm 27:14 that’s easy to say. It’s easy to preach, especially, if you are not the one waiting.

Tell that to the person who has just lost a loved one. Tell that to a person who has been told by a lifelong spouse, that they are leaving, and do not

plan to come back. It’s easy to wait, if you are not the one having to wait.

Tell that to the child who has to live in the midst of abuse. Tell that to the person getting bad news from the doctor.

What do you do when you have to wait? I mean, waiting on God?

When God puts you on hold? What do you do when God puts you on hold?

Do we mean God will put you on hold? In Matthew 15:21-28 we can read about a lady who did not immediately get her prayer answered. Jesus was

silent and did not immediately respond to her prayer request.

Let’s read the verses from Matthew 15:21-28:

21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."

23But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she

cries out after us." 24But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of

the house of Israel."

25Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 26But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs." 27And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table." 28Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let

it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very

hour.

Jesus along with his disciples travel northwest about 50 miles to a town known as Tyre and another town called Sidon. It was in this area that they

stop at a home probably a relative or friend of one of the disciples. In Mark’s gospel, chapter 7 it says they were in a house. They were not in Jewish country. They were in Gentile country. The Jews and Gentiles did

not have much to do with each other. Jesus took time to show His love and concern for the Gentiles. For many, many years the only distinction made in the Bible was you were either a Jew, or a Gentile. But after Jesus formed the church...He made it clear that salvation is for all people.